Things are Looking Up

     According to Spaceweather.com things are looking up for viewing the northern lights in 2010.  With increased solar activity already this year sky watchers are hopeful we’ll see more northern lights than we have in the past couple of years. 

     The unfortunate thing about viewing the northern lights is you have to be awake and outside in order to see them.  When we first moved up to the Gunflint Trail in 1993 we used to always see the northern lights thanks to no indoor plumbing.  On my nightly treks to the outhouse I would frequently be rewarded with the sight of dancing lights in the sky. 

     When we completed the lodge in 1997 it ended my nightly adventures to the outhouse and my frequent sightings of the northern lights.  Things have changed over the years and I don’t find myself outside much when it’s dark outside, especially during the summer. 

     I cherish the nights I get to camp underneath the stars because at least then I know I have a chance at seeing the lights dancing in the sky.  And with the help of Spaceweather forecasts I might just have a better idea of when to make it a point to look up to the sky in search of the magical show.